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Edson Barboza calls UFC 331 star an ‘improved version of me’

Published

2 months ago

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Edson Barboza calls UFC 331 star an ‘improved version of me’
Edson
Barboza sees plenty of himself in Mauricio
Ruffy and believes the surging Brazilian has become an
“improved version†of him.

Barboza, who recently retired from the
Ultimate Fighting Championship, claims Ruffy is one of his
favorite fighters to watch. Ruffy is set to face Arman
Tsarukyan in the UFC
331 co-main event on Sept. 19 in Los Angeles and Barboza
recently broke down the matchup, having trained alongside Tsarukyan
at
American Top Team.

Barboza compares Mauricio Ruffy to Anderson Silva ahead of
Arman Tsarukyan fight

Barboza gave his assessment of the matchup in an exclusive
interview with Sherdog. He claims Ruffy reminds him of UFC legend
Anderson
Silva before drawing a comparison between Tsarukyan and
Khabib
Nurmagomedov.

“Ruffy is one of my favorite fighters right now,†Barboza said.
“He's extremely creative and skilled, and he reminds me of Anderson
Silva. He just needs one opportunity to finish a fight. I'd say
he's the improved version of me.â€

While he thinks highly of Ruffy’s abilities, Barboza acknowledged
how good Tsarukyan is while comparing the latter to Nurmagomedov,
who he faced back in 2017.

“I've had the opportunity to train many times with Arman at ATT,â€
Barboza added. “He's impressive. If he needs to, he'll come at you
10,000 times until he takes you down. Khabib had more pressure. He
controls you more and is always one move ahead, but he doesn't
really look for the submission. Arman is different. He's always
looking to advance and find the finish.â€

He then highlighted Ruffy's finishing ability while hyping up the
matchup.

“Ruffy only needs one opportunity to finish the fight,†Barboza
concluded. “All I can say is that it's going to be a fight you
can't miss — a classic striker vs. grappler matchup.â€

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MMA

Alex Pereira says Josh Hokit would be much easier fight than Sergei Pavlovich

Published

7 minutes ago

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October 25, 2026

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Alex Pereira says Josh Hokit would be 'much easier' fight than Sergei Pavlovich
Alex
Pereira has explained his frustration with the
Ultimate Fighting Championship's heavyweight matchmaking.

Pereira (13-4) is scheduled to face Sergei
Pavlovich (21-3) at UFC
335 on Dec. 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Meanwhile,
Josh
Hokit (10-0) will face Ciryl Gane
(14-2) for the heavyweight title at UFC
334 on Nov. 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Pereira said he initially expected either a rematch with Gane or a
grudge match against Hokit, but he sees the Pavlovich booking as a
favorable stylistic matchup.

Alex Pereira explains UFC matchmaking frustration and why
Sergei Pavlovich is more dangerous than Josh Hokit

Pereira lost his UFC heavyweight debut to Gane by technical
knockout in an interim title bout at
UFC Freedom 250. After Tom
Aspinall relinquished the undisputed championship, Pereira said
the promotion discussed a title rematch with Gane or a fight
against Hokit, who has repeatedly criticized “Poatan.â€

Pereira considers Hokit an easier opponent than Pavlovich.
Nevertheless, he said a conversation with UFC executive Hunter
Campbell resolved his frustration, and he now looks forward to the
December bout.

“What got me more upset at that time was because they told me that
I was possibly going to fight Gane for the belt or fight Hokit,â€
Pereira told Ariel Helwani. “And then none of that happened. Coming
from a loss, fighting Hokit would be much, much easier for me than
fighting Pavlovich, who’s supposed to be a harder fight. Hokit
would be a much easier fight for me. We got together [with Hunter
Campbell], we talked, we straightened things out, so it was fine.
Pavlovich is a little more dangerous opponent, but looking at it in
a technical way today, I see that it’s actually also a very good
fight for me.â€

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MMA

Carlos Prates blasts ‘coward’ Islam Makhachev for UFC 336 withdrawal, vows to retire him

Published

11 hours ago

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October 25, 2026

By

Carlos Prates blasts ‘coward’ Islam Makhachev for UFC 336 withdrawal, vows to retire him

Carlos Prates put Islam Makhachev on blast after the UFC announced his fight with Michael Morales for the interim belt on Jan. 30.

“The Nightmare†was in talks with the promotion to book a UFC 336 clash with the welterweight champion in Toronto, Canada, but will now face Morales after the Russian informed the UFC he wouldn't be ready to fight on that date.

Prates took to social media after UFC's official announcement on Saturday to criticize the champion.

“Islam Makhachev, I've been working toward my dream of becoming a champion for 17 years, and now you've postponed that,†Prates wrote in Portuguese. “I'm the No. 1. I knocked out two former champions, while Morales has only beaten Sean Brady.

“You told the UFC you wouldn't be ready to fight in three months. Brother, you don't drink, you don't smoke, you don't party, and you can't get ready for a fight in three months? Let me show you how it's done. On January 30, I'm going to knock out Michael Morales, and then I'll be back to retire you, you coward!â€

Prates is on a three-fight winning streak in the UFC, all by knockout, and has finished his opponents in all seven octagon victories. Morales, on the other hand, is unbeaten as a professional with 19 straight victories, seven of those under the UFC banner.

Makhachev took a shot at Prates by pointing out the fact he has recently beat Ian Machado Garry, the only man to defeat the Brazilian in the UFC.

“I just beat the guy who chased you around the octagon for five rounds,†Makhachev wrote. “Shut up and go train. You're not on my level. See you soon. #maybeâ€

“As soon as we find out who the real contender is, we'll be right back,†he added in separate tweets. “We have to now who is better who deserve.â€

UFC 336 will take place at the Scotiabank Arena and feature Joshua Van's flyweight title defense against Manel Kape as the headliner.

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MMA

Petr Yan says hes figured out Merab Dvalishvili before UFC 333

Published

12 hours ago

on

October 25, 2026

By

Petr Yan says he's 'figured out' Merab Dvalishvili before UFC 333
Petr
Yan believes he has figured out Merab
Dvalishvili ahead of their trilogy bout.

Yan is scheduled to defend his
Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight title against
Dvalishvili at
UFC 333 on Oct. 24 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Their series
is tied 1-1, but Yan expects to replicate his commanding
performance in their rematch.

Petr Yan expects another dominant showing against Merab
Dvalishvili in UFC 333 title trilogy

Dvalishvili overwhelmed Yan with his wrestling to win their first
meeting by unanimous decision in 2023. Yan reversed the result in
their December 2025 title rematch, repeatedly defending takedowns
and landing effective strikes to reclaim the championship by
unanimous decision.

“No Mercy†expects another strong showing in their rubber
match.

“We definitely have enough information downloaded from the time we
spent together in the Octagon,†Yan said in a pre-fight interview.
“But the second victory, obviously, was very dominant. I've figured
him out and I'm gonna do whatever I can to this time bring the same
type of victory and even open new layers which we haven't seen
yet.â€

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